


Pack Street: Pack

by MisterEAnon



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-15
Updated: 2016-09-15
Packaged: 2018-08-15 06:22:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8045650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MisterEAnon/pseuds/MisterEAnon
Summary: Written for Thematic Thursday. Theme: Species Specific Customs.It's Friday. And all the regulars of Pack Street know what that means: It's time for Al to make his rounds.





	Pack Street: Pack

It was Friday. And that meant it was time to make my rounds.

I glanced at the bottle of beer in my fridge, half-tempted, but ultimately shook my head and closed the door, instead. I never drank on my rounds. Never knew when someone might need me sober. And that was kind of the point.

I ran into the sheep in the hall. Not entirely sure how to feel about him being part of pack street, but he wasn't any more of an ass then the rest of us. I guess that made him okay in our book. “Hey, Yarnball.”

He looked up at me from here was fiddling with his phone. “Huh? Oh, hey Al. You know anywhere I can get signal in here?” he asked, going back to frowning at his apparently obstinate technology. I just grunted.

“Anneke sometimes holds hers out the window. Gonna get it stolen right out of her paw one day doing that.” He always told her, when he caught her. She never listened. “Try the common room. The corner with three notches in the wall has pretty good signal.”

Those unusually bushy eyebrows rose. “Yeah? Thanks, Al.”

“Yeah.”

 

 

 

The first person on my rounds to check on was Avo. She was in her room, watching the news. She didn't do it religiously like I did, but she wasn't ignorant, either.

She glanced up over the back of her couch at me. “Al.”

“Avo.”

She rolled her head, cracking her neck. “Doing the rounds?”

“Yeah. You good here?”

“Yeah, yeah. Got my lollipops, got a new grindstone to keep my wit sharp, the works,” she snarked lightly. I knew that's just how she was. Still, I padded forward, leaning over the couch and setting a paw on her shoulder.

I didn't say anything. I didn't have to. “I'm not part of your pack, Al.”

I waited patiently. Finally, she sunk back into the couch.

“…Yeah, I will.”

Avo always said she wasn't part of the pack. I was fine with that but I insisted she be honest if she ever actually did have a problem. And, underneath her snark, I was pretty sure she knew I'd try to help. Even if she'd never admit it.

As I left, she threw a pillow at me. I just caught it, threw it at her head, and took her smile as it missed as a little victory.

 

 

 

Next was Ozzy. I could hear his acoustic guitar approaching his door, though he wasn't singing. I knocked loudly, knowing he wouldn't hear it otherwise.  
The playing stopped. “Hey, come in!”

I padded inside, closing the door behind me. I found Ozzy in bed, grinning at me as he fiddled with the tuning of his guitar. “Oh, hey Al!” He squinted into the distance, as if thinking. “Oh, Friday already?”

I nodded, and he continued.

“Right on. So, yeah. Everything's cool here. Been talking to V, of course. Buskin' is going well. And-”

I held up a paw to stop him. “You been taking your pills?” He stopped talking, and averted his eyes. I crossed my arms. “Ozzy.”

He didn't meet my eyes. “Hey, man. You know, uh… You know I don't like taking charity. And those things are-”

I stepped forward. “Ozzy, your health is more important.”

He gave a laugh. It wasn't his usual hyena cackling, but an obviously fake one even he didn't believe in. “Oh, you know. That's what everyone keeps telling me.”

I sat down on the bed, and took his guitar from him. He stared at me with something approaching alarm.

“Whoa, hey man. Are you gonna take my guitar until I take my pills? Because you know that's how I make m--”

I set it aside on the bed, and picked up the hyena, setting him in my lap. I hugged him.

He seemed to tense in my grasp for a while, but soon he relaxed into it, leaning back against me. “Fuck. Fuck, I was being stupid again. I should have remembered-” I pulled my arms back, and he wiped his eyes. “Okay. Yeah, okay, Al. I'll take my pills.”

I let him wiggle free from my lap, even as I picked up his guitar and offered it to him. He accepted it, grinning.

“Thanks, Al.”

“Of course.”

I left. Still had more rounds to make.

 

 

 

As usual, Marty and Charlie were together after work in their shared apartment. Marty looked at me as I opened the door, and just flipped me off before going back to his book.

Charlie, who knew why I was there, just nodded. “He's had a few frustrating days, but we get by.”

I nodded in return. I didn't really need to keep tabs on Marty, since Charlie already did it for me. “And you?”

She shrugged, leaning back into her chair. Like Marty, she too had a book open. “Doing well. Stole a guy's credit card recently, and he hasn't changed his passwords yet.”

I scowled, and she shook her head. “I know. Keep it to petty crimes. Just gonna hold onto it for now.”

I nodded, looking around. “It's clean in here,” I noted. It was cluttered, mostly with books, but it was an organized clutter.

Marty lowered his book. Apparently, he could be coaxed away from words if it was for the chance to bitch about his roommate. “Yeah, it is. And that's all because of me- If it were up to THAT slob,” the stoat started to accuse, pointing at the pick-pocket next to me, “-Then shit would just be thrown wherever the fuck when we're done with it.”

I glanced at Charlie, who shrugged again. “I'd find it again if I needed it.”

“Don't piss off Marty,” I told her, only to receive an apathetic look in return.

“Everything pisses off Marty,” she replied, scratching her nose. “Pissing him off more barely does anything.”

“Hey!” objected Marty, who was starting to get pissed off. We both ignored him.

“He pays your rent. Your income isn't steady enough for that. You want him to throw you out on the street?”

It was an empty threat. I knew Marty needed her just as much as she needed him. Still, her tail bristled with alarm. “He wouldn't.”

I left without saying anything else. I figured Marty's apartment would be a bit cleaner for a few days, at least.

 

 

 

The twins were next. Like Marty and Charlie, they shared an apartment. Of course, as twins, they were kind of expected to, in a way.

Anneke answer the door topless. “Heyyyyy-” She squinted up at me. “You're not my date.”

I shook my head. She sighed, and closed the door.

She came back fifteen seconds later, having draped a towel over herself. “What do you want?”

“It's Friday.”

“Fri- Oh, the rounds. Right.” She turned away from me, calling back into the apartment. “Hey, Wolter! Quit jerking off, we got company!”

Her twin's voice came back. “But I'm not done yet!”

She glanced at me. I shrugged. She turned back. “Make it quick, then!”

These two were completely shameless. I'd be glad to get out of here. Another minute passed. Then:

“I'm done!” Called Wolter.

It was his apartment, and all. But still, I rolled my eyes, and let Anneke guide me in.

Various sex toys and supplies littered the place. Wolter was leaning back in their bed, his lingering erection pressing up through the blanket. I scooped up a nearby pillow, and threw it at his dick. He jolted when it connected.

“Yeah, I'll take the hint,” he grumbled, covering his lack-of-shame with the pillow, hiding it from my sight. Better.

I stepped forward, and glanced down when I stepped on some kind of squeeze-trigger. It depressed under my foot, and a nearby canine dildo shot a large, sustained jet of fake cum six feet in the air, landing messily across the floor.

Classy.

Anneke looked at the toy. “Oops. We've been having so much fun with one night stands lately, we haven't put anything away yet.”

Wolter grinned at her. “Is it still a one night stand if it's more of an orgy?”

“Technically, they were swinger couples, they just didn't know they'd both be here at the same time-”

I raised a paw. “I'll assume your sex life doesn't need my assistance. And, for that matter, will NEVER require my assistance.”

There was a mild threat in my tone. They understood. “Got it,” they answered in unison.

I grunted. “You use condoms?”

Wolter made a face. “Ugh, when we do I can't bring out the oil based stuff, and it's great for hand-jobs--”

Anneke scooped up a relatively soft sex toy from the floor, and threw it at him to shut him up. The rubber bunny humpable jiggled as it bounced off his chest, and he got the point.

His twin turned to me. “Yeah. We use condoms.”

Good. “You get tested weekly?”

Anneke was the one groaned that time. “God, it takes like an hour every time,” she complained. “And we can't even hit on anyone there, since they're probably all sick--”

This time, Wolter scooped up the pillow I had thrown at him, and threw it at Anneke. It sailed right past, and I noted with some relief that his erection had gone down.

“Yeah, we get tested,” he replied.

I raised an eyebrow. A few seconds later, he got it.

“…And we're clean! Promise,” he added, crossing his heart. Anneke mirrored the gesture. “Honestly, we're lucky the testing is free at the clinic.”

Good. I didn't really need these two becoming a bio-hazard from sleeping around so much.

I left. They didn't stop me. I paused outside their door and peeled a condom from my foot.

Thank god it wasn't used.

 

 

 

Only Betty left. I found her in the common room, watching some godawful daytime television. I could see the look on her face.

“None of the pack shit today. It's-”

“Friday,” she interrupted. “I know.” She leaned back into the couch, muting the TV. “And no, I'm fine.”

Queen bitch never felt like owning up to any problems to me. I usually had to press. “How are your lungs doing?”

“Fuck off,” she answered, glancing down at her pants. I knew she was thinking about the cigarettes in her pockets. She hadn't had any serious problems yet, but I was still concerned at times. “Didn't pick any fights recently?”

“Fuck off,” she repeated, a frown creasing her face. When I stepped forward to inspect her for injuries, she crossed her arms. “Fine. No, I didn't pick any fights.”

I kept going. Like with Avo, I stood behind her couch, and rested a paw on her shoulder. She grumbled darkly for a few moments. But she didn't move.

A few seconds later, she looked up at me. “Yeah. I know. It's just…” She looked like she was struggling to get her thoughts out. I just patted her shoulder, and nodded understandingly.

Betty WAS part of my pack. Even if she knew I cared about her, she still felt the need to present a front. One that even she struggled to take down, sometimes. She had an abrasive personality even when she wasn't trying to be abrasive.

She knew I understood. As I left, I spied out of the corner of my eye that she took out her cigarette package for consideration.

I was just out the door when I saw her put them back.

 

 

 

I was just heading back to my room when the idea hit me. It was unconventional. Admittedly, not all of the others were wolves, or even canines. But prey?

I ended up knocking on his door anyway. The sheep opened it, peeking out with a defensive stance, which only slightly relaxed when he saw it was me. “Oh. Hey, Al.”

I leaned against the door frame. “Hey, Remmy. It's Friday.”

He stared at me blankly. “…And?”

I continued. “And, on Friday, the Alpha Wolf does his rounds and makes sure the members of his pack are okay.”

He glanced back, looking inside his apartment. “Uh, it's just me here. I don't know where the others are.”

I looked at him like he was thick. He looked at me as if trying to determine if I was serious. “Are you serious?”

God, he was thick. “Yes, I'm serious.”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “Uh. I'm… Not sure how I feel about this. I guess I'm okay? Little hungry, but I can wait until dinner. Why?”

I shook my head. “It's an Alpha thing, Cormo. Better to just accept it.”

As I padded off, I could feel his confused stare on my back.

 

 

 

I tugged off my shirt, throwing it into my laundry basket as I passed by, flopping down on my bed.

My pack was fine. I was satisfied.

Alpha wolves had a longstanding tradition of this sort of thing. A lot of traditions were outdated, outmoded bullshit that no longer applied once science became the guiding force of mammal's lives, when the whole 'cities' thing came around.

But the ones based around feelings? Those still had a purpose. And I felt for my pack.

I fished out my phone. Maybe I ought to see if the others felt like getting dinner together tonight.


End file.
